Abstract: In the past the paradigm of the dynastic cycle associating dynastic decline with the increasing occurrence of serious disasters on the one hand and the verdicts of imperialist Western observers on a doomed empire on the other hand were quite effective in shaping the way we perceive the history of disasters in China. There has been little focused research that would help us to get beyond these commonplace statements towards an empirically well2founded history of disasters , especially their impact on people , society and culture. By exploring the biographies in the local histories of the Linfen region , this paper is designed to examine the potential of this type of source for a cultural and social history of disasters in China.